Combined ventilating and illuminating device



;Sept. 16,1941. F, J, KURTH 2,255,849

COMBINED VENTILATING AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE Filed Aug. 9, 1958 j 7 v 7 z a v {I I 4 II 77? w b 13 I 61/3 WWW/I Patented Sept. 16, 1941 COMBINED VENTILATING AND ILLUMINATING DEVICE Franz J. Kurth, New York, N. Y., assignor to Anemostat Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application August 9, 1938, Serial No. 223,816

2 Claims. This invention relates to ventilating devices of the general type comprising a plurality of openended, hollow, flaring members disposed in spaced apart relationship to provide a plurality of separate air distributing passageways therebetween, and has particular reference to improvements in devices of this general type which are constructed for both the supply of air to and the extraction of air from a room or other enclosed space.

When constructed for the extraction as well as for the supply of air; devices of the character referred to usually include, at'the center thereof, an air extraction duct the forward end portion of which isflared and is comprised by the smaller or innermost flaring member of the air supply portion of the device. Because of this arrangement, air is extracted from a cone-like or flaring area in front of the device, (assuming the device to be of circular shape as viewed from the front) and the supplied air is delivered from the device in the form of a hollow body-around the cone-like body of air being extracted, the interior of the hollow body of supplied air being of the same size and shape as the exterior of the body of air being extracted, due to the front end portions of the air extraction duct and the air supply portion of the device being separated from each other only by the thin wall comprising both the forward end portion of the air extraction duct and the smaller or'innermost flaring member of the air supply portion of the device. It

thus happens that, in prior devices of the char-.

tioned for both the supply and extraction of air,

which device embodies a novel construction to cause the supplied and the extracted bodies of air to be separated in front of the device by a so-called dead air space of suitable width, whereby any wasteful extraction of any part of the supplied air immediately upon being delivered from'the device and before it has circulated in the room or other enclosure, and thus has served its intended purpose, is effectively avoided.

-- Another special object of the present invenvice of the character mentioned, illuminating means disposed so that its heat is carried offby the extracted air.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will become more fully apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a device of the general character mentioned embodying the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described,

illustrated in the accompanying drawing and deflned in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a central, longitudinal section through a device constructed in accordance with one practical embodiment of the invention; and.

Figures 2 and 3 are views similar to Fig. 1 illustrating other practicalembodiments of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, first with particularreference to the embodiment, of the invention illustrated in Fig. 1, it will be observed that the device, designated generally as A, comprises an air delivery or supply portion composed of a plurality of successively larger, open-ended, hollow, flaring members disposed in mutually spaced relationship to provide a series of separate, flaring passageways therebetween, whereby air supplied to the device through a supply duct connected with the smaller or rear end of the largest flaring member, is divided into a plurality of separate streams and thereby is delivered substantially draftlessly forwardly of the device.- The air supply duct is designated as Hi,

the successively larger flaring members, of which -four are illustrated in the present instance, are

designated as H, l2, l3 and M, respectively, and the three successively larger, flaring passageways between said members are designated as a, b and c, respectively. As will be understood, the flaring members may be of circular or any other desired shape in cross section and the inner ends of some or all of them may be formed, or may have associated therewith suitable means, in accordance with known practice, whereby the supplied creates a suction effect and either a partial or a complete rearward or inward flow of air in certain of the passageways, whereby there is caused a mixing within the device of the supplied air with the room air into which the supplied air is delivered. Since, however, the cross tion is to provide, in novel association with a desectional shape of the flaring members and the relative disposition of their inner ends is imma-' terial insofar as concerns the present invention, itmaybethatsaldmember areofcircular shape in cross section and that air flows j only outwardly through all of the passageways.

' means.

' 1 device.

Within and concentric with the air supply duct I is a smaller, air extraction duct IS, the for- 1 ward end portion of which is disposed within the smallest flaring member II and is comprised by a flaring member it having a lesser amount of I flare than said member II. In this connection,

,1 either of the flaring members H or i6 may be formed as a part of the duct "land the other may be formed as a separate element, or both supply duct it, a plurality of successively larger, open-ended, hollow, flaring members .I I, 12, Il

and 14- disposed in mutually spaced relationship in front of said air supply duct and defining a plurality of flaring air distributing passageways a b 'and c therebetween, and anal: extracposed in a common plane, and in lieu of the of said flaring members may be formed sepav rately from saidi'duct l5 and from each other, 1 or they may be formed in one piece with each other and either integral with or separately from said ductl5. In any event, the smaller, rear end of the member ll engages either the duct I5 or the flaring member I6. ,Therefore, the

; innermost portion of the body of supplied air- 'cannot' flow directly'forwardly from the device,

but is deflected outwardly by the member ll 1 is drawn from a cone-like space infront of the device defined by a forward projection of the 3 surface of the member l6 indicated by the light j dot and dash lines 1:. Now, as is apparent, due 5 to the member l'i having a lesser amount of flare than themember II, the cone-like body of air flowing to the extraction duct is separated fromthe interior of the body of supplied 1 air flowing forwardly from the device by a"dead 1 air" space'(between the light dot and dash f lines a: and y) in which the air, theoretically, 1 is not moved either forwardly or/rearwardly. 5 Consequently, any wasteful extraction of the sup- {plied air immediately upon being delivered from the device and before it has circulated in the Iroom or other enclosure and thus has served its intended purpose, is effectively avoided.

Between the members H and I8 is, of course, 1 a flaring space, designated as d, in which may be locatedyif desired, any suitable "illuminating 'means such, for example, as one or more Q electric light bulbs or a neon tube designated 3 as H. Whether the space d does 'or does not contain illuminating means, the forward end of the member 16 desirably isv either perforated, as indicated at l9, or has its rear endspaced from 3 the member H and from the duct. l5, so that V l the extracted air draws air from the space it 1 and'thus carries oif heat from the illuminat- Of-course, if the space 11 is in com- 1 munication with the air extraction duct, the forward end of said space it is closed to maintain the aforesaid dead air" space forwardly-of'the Obviously, a single, solid flaring mem- 1 ber may be used inlie rof the two spaced flaryring members H and I8."-

flaring member 1601: the Fig. 1 construction, the flaring member II, to the rear end of which is connected the air extraction .duct I5, is provided at its front end with an inwardly extending ring-like flange 2! which serves the samepurpose as the forward projection of the flaring member ll of'the Fig. 1 construction. In other words, the area in front of the device from which air is drawn into the air extraction duct I5 is defined by forward projections of straight lines 1! extending from the smaller end of the flaring member ll across the inner edge of the flange 2|, and since these lines are spaced inwardly from forward projections :1: of the flaring member II, it follows that a dead 851 space exists forwardly of the device between the supplied air and the body of air being drawn into the air extraction duct.

As in the case of the Fig. 1--emhodiment of the invention,- a grille, registeror the like- 20' preferably is employed at the front of. the flaring member ll'. 1

.If the Fig. 2 embodiment of the invention is equipped with illuminating means, such means may be located rearwardly of the flange II, as suggested by the Fig. 1 construction, or centrally within the flaring member H behind the grille obviously servesto carry off heat from said illu- 'minating means, designated as ll.

Referring now particularly to the Fig. 3 embodiment of the invention, it will be observed that the device, designated generally as A is of the same general construction as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 in that it comprises an air supply duct H)", a plurality of successively larger, openended, hollow, flaring members ll", l2", I3" and I 4' disposed in mutually spaced relationship in front of said air supply duct and defining a plurality of flaring air distributing passageways a, b and c therebetween, and an air extraction duct l5 disposed centrally of the device.

As in the case of the Fig. :1 embodimentof the invention, the-front ends of the successively larger flaring members of the Fig. 3 embodiment at)! the invention are successively stepped reare Preferably, but not necessarily, the forward I end of the member I; i. e., the forward end of the .air extraction duct, is covered by a grille,

Referring now particularly to the embodiment of the invention illustrated inTFigure 2, it will 1 be observed that the device, designated generally wardly, but as in the case of the Fig. 2 embodiment of the invention, the forward end of the trates illuminating means ll in the form. of an electric lamp disposed centrally within the flaring member l I. a

According to any of the diflferent embodiments of the invention, some or all of the flaring memhers may be transparent or translucent to permit light from the illuminating means to illnminate other 'thanthe central portion of the i as A, is o *fthesame' eneral construction as 9 device. Moreover, according to the broader asillu fl d 1 8- 1 i t i wmprises an air, 76 of the invention, it obviouslyis not necessary to divide the space between the largest flaring member and the air extraction duct into a plurality of separate passageways. On the contrary, the flaring members within said space may be eliminated and said space may be uninterrupted. Furthermore, according to any of the different embodiments of the invention, the flaring members may have their front ends disposed in a common plane, as shown in Fig. 2, or stepped rearwardly, as shown in Figs-1 and 3, and the illuminating means may be located as suggested by any of Figs. 1 to 3. Also, in any case where the smallest flaring member is provided with a ring-like, inwardly extending flange, such flange may be either integral with or separate from said flaring member.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A combined ventilating and illuminating device comprising an air extraction duct, 8. hollow flaring member around the forward or air inlet end portion of said duct, said member being forwardly flared relative to the forward or air inlet end portion of said duct and being endefining around the forward or air inlet end pct device comprising an air extraction duct, a hol-.

low flaring member around the forward or air inlet end portion of said duct, said member being forwardly flared relative to the forward or air inlet end portion of said duct and being engaged at its rear end with said duct, thereby tion of said duct a forwardly flaring space closed at its rear end, illuminating means disposed within said space, the forward end portion of said duct having openings for flow of air from said space into said'duct, means of a material through which light may pass and through which air cannot pass closing said space for wardly of said illuminating means, and a second hollow flaring member surrounding said first mentionedflaring member in spaced relationship thereto and providing an 'air supply passageway in surrounding relationship to said air extraction duct.

' FRANZ J. KURTH. 

